No Gods, Nor Masters

Questions Answered

Inside the Great Keep

Beefeater and the Dwarven man who'd retrieved them led the teams of soldiers down to the tables where they would be seated. Surprisingly, Grund's people had 'normal human'-sized furniture, probably specifically designed in case Imperial dignitaries or even Beefeater's family visited. As they were brought to their seats, their table was filled full of cooked meats, locally-brewed ales and beers in full pints, breads and fruits and vegetables of all kinds.

The Dwarven people lived in an oddly contradicting way:Though their clothes seemed mostly austere, with the regimen of work, eat, sleep being the basis, their halls were gilded and beautifully-ornate, marked with symbols and runes that they'd carved themselves. Richard noted the fact these runes glowed, too. And they glowed a familiar teal.

Grund and his people cheered their newfound friends and Beefeater again, causing the group to raise their cups as well in cheer. Tyuule smiled at Richard as they did so, then they began digging into the food laying in front of them. Each man and woman in the unit retained that mental note:'No bowing, cheer with the lot and eat and drink 'till the plates are empty'.

Insulting the people that probably had access to one of the three pieces of technology Halsey wanted to understand the Gate was not a good idea. Richard leaned over to Henry and Youji and told them, "You guys think you can handle a whole feast? Ancient mythology talks at length about the kind of stuff they do in these."

"MREs in my gut or not, I think I'll take cooked food right now, man," Henry replied, holding up the leg of some sort of poultry these guys had slaughtered, cooked thoroughly and seemingly doused in that good seasoning set, going by the smell. God bless the Dwarven palate, then, thought most of the squad of soldiers and Marines.

The UNSC Lieutenant snorted, then gave a nod of approval, before lifting his own cup of mead and taking a swig. The honey immediately made itself felt, giving the ancient and all-too-common alcoholic beverage a very, very familiar taste. Though he liked drinking every once in a while, he'd learned the hard way to avoid anything alcoholic and sweet.

Regardless, though, he continued drinking, mostly due to peer pressure...

"... And you say you've gone through this multiple times, Beefeater?" Piña inquired jovially as the feasts continued around them, food spread wanton and willy-nilly across the tables by the various Dwarven cooks and chefs and barmaids. It was a sight to behold, considering just how many people they now had to feed.

From the Russians to the Americans and UNSC, everyone seemed to be enjoying it, though. They carried on eating, though some of them, namely some of the Officers, were trying to keep themselves sober and not full. Torres kept eating, but he hadn't drank enough to get drunk. He shifted slightly uneasily.

Beefeater replied to the Princess, "Pretty much," while she cut into a piece of good, succulent poultry meat. She told her, "You'd be surprised at how heartwarmingly open other peoples can be if you prove yourself to be trustworthy... Something you might need, should you become Empress any time soon, Your Highness."

"That's still a long ways away," The girl replied awkwardly, smiling and rubbing the back of her neck. While other members of the Rose-Knights continued to eat beside her, smiling brightly and sharing some of their spoils with each-other and the UNSC, Piña spoke, "My father is alive and will rule over the Empire with our newfound Allies' guidance. I hope," with a mix of worry and resignation.

"Let us not... As Earthborn and UNSC Humans say, 'jinx it'," Rory quipped, giving the Princess a gentle elbow in the shoulder. Though her frame had certainly aged and grown to a beauty far exceeding what she had once been, before Emroy had decided to 'fix' his calculation failure and turn her 'aging' back on. 'Aging' being a relative term here.